


Another Life

by EnInkahootz



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: 2012 Loki (Marvel), Anal Sex, Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Blow Jobs, Brothers, Cute Kids, Endgame Fix-It, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family, First Time, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Hand Jobs, Healing Magic, Healing Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Multiverse, POV Loki Third Person, Polyamory, Porn scene is Tony and Loki, Redemption, Romance, Sex Magic, Slow Burn, Tony and Pepper are together but Tony and Loki are the focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 14:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18741115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnInkahootz/pseuds/EnInkahootz
Summary: What if a Loki had been there during the final battle inAvengers Endgame? A different end to the scene, and a chronicle of the relationship that develops between Loki and Tony in the months following.





	Another Life

_2012_

Loki looked down with pleased surprise as the Tesseract landed at his feet. Before anyone was the wiser, he had snatched it up and used it to get the Hel out of there. A great exit, as always, he thought to himself. But now, where to go? And who to be?

Loki spent the next eleven years trying to decide. A few more failed attempts to rule a planet made him realize the dream had always been a lonely, hollow one. The accumulated deaths came to weigh heavily on him, and no amount of jovial mischief seemed to cheer him. But if he was not meant to be a king, or a monster, then who was he meant to be? In the end, all Loki wanted was for his big brother to help him understand.

~

_2023_

“I am,” Tony Stark struggled to speak, “Iron Man.” He collapsed onto the ground and everyone rushed to him.

Loki stared at the grim scene his portal had opened up on. A woman with long strawberry blonde hair knelt beside Tony. Loki looked around for Thor but didn’t see him. Loki had directed the Tesseract to take him to his brother, but something seemed off. 

“You,” the woman called out, noticing Loki, “you’re supposed to be dead.”

Loki didn’t recognize her but figured she had seen him on the news when he tried to take over Midgard in 2012. He wasn’t sure why she thought he was supposed to be dead. Did she just mean she wished he was dead? That he deserved to be dead after all he had done?

“You have magic,” she stated in a voice that was both accusatory and appreciative.

Loki wasn’t sure how to react, so he just took it as a complement and grinned.

“Help him,” she yelled, her tone commanding, “do a spell, use your magic, save him.”

Loki blinked at her. Tony Stark was an old enemy of his, and Loki wasn’t sure whether or not it made sense to try and save him. Weren’t they supposed to hate each other?

“Thor told us you changed,” the woman screamed. “Didn’t you change?”

Loki had no idea why Thor would have said that, but he felt oddly compelled to prove that it was true. He didn’t know whether or not he had changed in the eleven years since he had tried to conquer this woman’s planet, but, if Thor had said that, then perhaps there was cause for hope after all.

There were a number of objections as Loki approached Tony’s body, but the woman pushed everyone aside. Loki knelt beside Tony, who was staring off into the distance, the life nearly gone from his eyes.

“I think it’s too late.”

“If there’s any chance, then try,” the woman told him firmly, “please,” she added.

Loki took Tony’s chin in his hand and turned his face until their gazes met, although Tony didn’t seem to really see him. Loki used his magic to assess Tony’s wounds and, finding the essence of the Infinity Stones burning through him, realized what must have happened. But how had Thanos completed the Gauntlet when the Tesseract had been with Loki this entire time? When it was, even as Tony lay dying, tucked safely away in the private pocket dimension Loki used to store whatever needed storing.

It was then that Loki reviewed his calculations and realized that he had accidentally used the power of the Tesseract to not only travel through space, but to cross into another timeline. He made a mental note to be impressed with himself later; there was too much going on right now. 

Loki flipped through the catalog of spells held in his mind, searching his memory for a way to save the man he wasn’t quite sure why he was saving. He put that question aside and came up with an idea. He hurried to conjure the necessary ingredients from his pocket dimension. 

“Lie him flat and bare his torso,” Loki directed, and the woman complied. Loki arranged the ingredients precisely on Tony’s chest and stomach. Tony’s gaze was fixed on the woman now, and she was crying silently as she watched Loki work. He held his hands over the ingredients and recited the incantation. He felt like something inside his being was torn open, and the green light that came from his hands was so bright that everyone shielded their eyes. Loki heard himself groan from the pain. 

“It’s not working,” the woman said urgently.

Loki closed his eyes and pushed harder. The power of the Infinity Stones had its grip deep on Tony’s essence. Loki’s own power tried to dissolve it, to rub it away before it smothered the last breath from Tony’s body. Loki’s power was no match for a full set of Infinity Stones, but his spell was channeling the power of the Tesseract which Loki had in his pocket dimension. Still, it was one Infinity Stone against six. But Loki felt oddly and fiercely determined to save this man who, when last they met, was his adversary.

At last, Loki heard Tony drawing in breath, and he felt a rush of joy at the sound. He opened his eyes and smiled down at Tony as he tried to catch his own breath, feeling dizzy and beaten from the exertion of his magic.

It was then that Tony finally saw him with a focused gaze, and all at once Loki was blasted backward by Tony’s good arm. Loki was physically unharmed, and knew that the reaction made sense, yet something inside him was deeply wounded.

The woman was holding Tony close and kissing him wherever she could. Tony was still breathing raggedly. He still looked too pale, and he was shaking as he clung to the woman. Loki noticed their wedding bands as their hands clasped.

“Brother?” Loki heard Thor ask, his voice heavy with disbelief and laced with hope as he ran up to the scene. Loki turned and their eyes met. As always, Loki could see Thor’s emotion plain on his face: he was perturbed by Loki’s sudden appearance, and suspicious, but more than anything he wanted things to be alright between them. It was what Loki wanted too. Yet how could they move past everything Loki had done? 

But, Loki remembered, this was no longer the same Thor who Loki knew. There had been a divergence. He stared at this version of his brother, not sure what to say. Thor gazed back at him, his feelings playing across his facial features. Loki wondered what had happened to make this Thor look at him the way he did. To cause his brother to look upon him with forgiveness, and relief.

“Is it really you?” Thor asked as he cautiously moved closer. Loki could see from his expression that Thor feared it was a trick. Though it was clear that Thor desperately wanted to trust in the reality of their reunion, Loki could tell that he was also worrying about the possibility of Loki being some other villain in disguise.

“Thor,” the woman said through her tears, “your brother saved Tony.”

Thor’s face lit up and he rushed to Loki and wrapped him up in a hug.

“I knew it,” he whispered, “I knew you would come back to me.”

Thor was crying and clutching to him. Loki wanted to return Thor’s enthusiastic embrace, but only allowed himself to pat Thor unceremoniously on the back. The last time he had seen the Thor from his own timeline, they had been in conflict. Loki had come to reconcile, but it wasn’t supposed to be this easy. 

“I knew you would find us, I knew you would help, I always knew it, brother,” Thor mumbled into the crook of Loki’s neck, “I knew you were a hero.”

Loki pushed Thor away. He did not like that word.

“I was just looking for you, and she told me to save him.”

“And you did,” the woman said gratefully, “thank you.” She smiled, then added, “my name is Pepper.”

“Uh, hello,” Loki said, “nice to meet you?” This was all very strange. Thor was grinning blissfully at him.

“It was nothing really,” Loki said awkwardly, not sure exactly why the praise was making him so uncomfortable. He looked at Tony, who still seemed only vaguely aware of what was happening. When he caught Loki observing him, Tony glared fiercely. Loki understood; Tony could only see the monster who had tried to take Earth for his own eleven years ago, who had taken people’s wills, and lives. Loki looked down and away.

~

“I’m certain you are welcome in their home,” Thor told Loki a week later, “I’m sure Pepper and Tony will love seeing you.”

“I don’t think Tony will love seeing me,” Loki replied. Unfortunately, though, Loki had no choice but to face him. Though Tony’s life had been saved, it would take a year of bedrest and weekly healing spells, using the power of the Tesseract, before he was fully recovered. Loki had agreed to stay for the year, acting put out though, truthfully, he wanted to stay. He wanted to be with Thor, to have his brother to guide him through an existence that he could no longer make sense of. That was why he had come, after all. But, Loki admitted only to himself, now there was a second reason that he desired to remain in this timeline: it was Tony. For some reason, Loki actually cared about him. He actually _wanted_ to help him. It was horrifying.

“Pepper explained to him that you saved him. He knows he would not be alive were it not for you.”

Loki didn’t say anything. He was thinking about 2012 when Tony almost died because of him. He was thinking of all the Midgardians who did die because of him.

“So, come, let us go,” Thor urged.

Loki forced himself to move toward the door of Thor’s home in New Asgard. He felt conflicted; though it was daunting to face Tony, Loki was secretly looking forward to watching his health improve over time, and he was glad to be the one to do the healing. He wished he could heal Tony faster than a year. The image of Tony so near to death had stuck with Loki. He had thought about it often throughout the week. He had thought about his relief when Tony took that first breath, and he had thought about that hateful look in Tony’s eyes when he blasted Loki away. Loki could still feel the sting of the rejection.

When Loki and Thor arrived, Pepper greeted them warmly, and a small child ran up to Thor and hugged his legs. Loki stepped back, uncomfortable around the child.

“This is Morgan,” Pepper told him.

Loki blinked.

“Morgan, this is Loki,” Pepper said to the girl.

“You saved my daddy,” the child exclaimed, and suddenly she was running at him. She wrapped her tiny arms around his legs too, and Thor chuckled. Loki stood there, frozen and unsure what to do, until the girl finally released him and ran off into the other room.

“Would you like to see him now?” Pepper asked.

“Yes, please,” Thor replied. Loki gave a short nod. They followed Pepper to the bedroom where Tony lay, hooked up to medical machines, but awake.

“Hello, friend,” Thor said cheerfully, “are you well today?”

“Right as rain, Point Break,” Tony replied, though his voice was weak.

“Hello, Tony,” Loki mumbled, the name feeling odd on his lips.

Tony looked to Pepper, who nodded encouragingly.

“Hey,” Tony said shortly.

There was a long, awkward silence.

“Are you ready for the spell?”

“Yeah, sure,” Tony replied as he parted his robe to expose his torso.

Loki conjured the ingredients and arranged them on Tony’s body. He avoided looking at Tony’s face, but he felt like Tony was watching him. His hands accidentally brushed up against Tony’s skin a few times, and Loki felt guilty for enjoying it.

It hurt much less this time when Loki’s innate healing magic, infused with the power of the Tesseract in his pocket dimension, surged through him and streamed from his hands in glaring green light. There was still some pain though, and Loki made a small grunt without meaning to. Layered past the pain was the overwhelming sensation born of the link that the healing spell created between them. Loki felt as though he could very nearly taste Tony’s energy, as though he could perceive him in some impossible way. At the healing’s peak, Loki and Tony both gasped. 

When the spell was complete Loki turned to leave, not even waiting for his dizziness to subside.

“Brother,” Thor said, “stay and visit with us.”

Loki turned back around, unsure what to do.

“Or not,” Tony said curtly.

“Uh, of course not,” Loki mumbled, feeling as though Tony had slapped him so hard that he wanted to curl up and weep. “Here, I, I brought you this.” He deposited a book of Mad Libs on the desk near the bedroom door. He had bought it at a Midgardian shop the day after Tony had almost died. He had meant to visit earlier, but he didn’t want to face Tony’s scorn. 

“Brother,” Thor called after Loki as he rushed out the door.

“I’ll wait outside,” Loki called over his shoulder. He stood in the yard and stared at the sky and tried to understand what was going on in his own head. 

“Hi,” Loki heard a small voice say. He turned around and saw the daughter. Morgan.

“Hello,” Loki said.

“Whatcha’ doing?”

“Nothing. Waiting for my brother.”

“Want to play?” She offered him the metal toy that she held. 

“No, thank you,” Loki replied, backing away a little. She stared at him for a few long moments, then ran off giggling. Loki had never been good with children. But he did think it was nice of her to try and entertain him while he waited.

~

Thor visited Tony every night, and Loki asked after Tony’s wellbeing each time Thor returned. Always the following day Thor would try to get Loki to come along, but Loki went only for the weekly healing spells, and each time he waited outside as soon as the spell was over. He couldn’t stand to see the way Tony looked at him - like all that was real in Loki was the villain. Loki didn’t want it to be true. He had grown exhausted from being the villain. He just wanted to be happy. 

Sometimes, despite all logic, Loki imagined that being with Tony would make him happy. Maybe there was another divergence somewhere, a timeline where Loki never let himself be a villain, and Tony never married Pepper, and Loki and Tony were a couple. Perhaps there was a Loki in the multiverse who deserved that love.

But Loki told himself that he, unlike the theoretical Loki of his imaginings, didn’t deserve happiness after all he had done. He didn’t deserve his brother’s kindness, and he didn’t deserve even a shred of Tony’s affection.

“Perhaps when the year runs out, and Tony is fully recovered, I’ll return to my timeline,” he told Thor at breakfast one morning. Thor took the news far worse than he would take a punch. Loki felt a throb of guilt as he looked at Thor’s face, which so obviously showed desperation and sorrow.

“No,” Thor murmured, “no, no, don’t leave me again brother, no.” He grasped Loki’s hand in his and stared pleadingly at him.

“Wow, that other me must have been quite remarkable,” Loki said coldly, pulling his hand away. “But I’m not him.”

“But you can do just what he did. Because he was once you. You are already doing it, brother.”

“And what is it that I am already doing?”

Thor looked into Loki’s eyes with unguarded faith.

“Redeeming,” he said, “returning to who you always were, on the inside. Look what you did for Tony, what you are doing for him. That’s what a hero does.”

Loki stood up, accidentally knocking over his cup in his haste. He shoved his napkin at the spill.

“I’m going for a walk.”

“You didn’t finish your breakfast. I made it for you.”

“I’m not hungry anymore, Thor,” he said as he rushed outside. 

“Loki,” Thor called after him, his voice breaking, “brother.” Loki didn’t turn back.

~

“It’s raining, you know,” Pepper told Loki as he headed to wait outside after the next scheduled spell was complete.

“Mm,” Loki agreed shortly.

“Why don’t you wait with me in the kitchen.”

Reluctantly, Loki accepted the invitation.

“You like red wine, right?” she asked as he sat uneasily at the kitchen table. 

“How do you know that?”

“Thor talked about you a lot after you - after the other you died. He missed you so much.”

“But it wasn’t me he missed, was it,” Loki spoke in a distant voice, “it was the other. The heroic one I always hear about, who fought at Ragnarok and died in the name of goodness. That wasn’t me. None of that was me.”

“You’re heroic too, Loki,” she told him as she set the glass of wine down in front of him. “You’re taking a different path than the other Loki did, but you have the same destination.”

“Death?” Loki asked dryly.

“No. Redemption.”

~

From then on, Loki started waiting with Pepper, and sometimes Morgan, while Thor visited with Tony after each spell. Loki wished that he could visit with Tony too, but he knew he didn’t deserve Tony’s kindness, or even his tolerance. With hidden disappointment, Loki refused to remain in the bedroom any longer than the healing spells required, and politely declined Pepper’s repeated invitations to visit on non-spell days.

But then the nightmares began: Loki would see Tony’s face, the life escaping, and he would try to save him - but he would fail, again and again, no matter what magic he tried, and Tony would die in his arms, and Loki would shed tears onto Tony’s lifeless body with the echoing sound of Pepper’s sobs closing in around him. 

Over the course of the next two months the nightmares grew so frequent that, after a particularly vivid one, Loki elected to accompany Thor for a visit when no spell was scheduled. 

Pepper seemed very glad to see Loki on a non-spell day and Morgan hugged his legs again as a greeting. The child’s gesture of affection bothered Loki a little less each time.

“Are you certain he wishes to see me?” Loki asked Pepper over a very nice glass of red wine.

“He’s coming around on you,” she replied, then sipped from her own glass, “but Thor and I can only make so much progress when you two never interact for longer than the length of your spell.”

“I’m sorry,” Loki heard himself say.

Pepper looked at Loki with slight alarm, then smiled and set down her wine glass. 

“Well, you’re here now, and these should be about steeped, so let’s go see him. Here,” she said, handing Loki a tray with two mugs of tea, “you can carry them in.”

Thor was already in the bedroom, settled in a chair at Tony’s bedside. Tony was sitting up in bed, pillows all around him, and they were talking and laughing with each other. Loki felt his heart swell with relief and elation at how healthy Tony seemed. His improvement was evident each time Loki saw him. 

Loki cleared his throat and tried to think what to say. Tony’s gaze met his, but it was entirely unreadable.

“We made tea,” Pepper said after a stretch of silence. Loki hadn’t helped make the tea at all, but he brought the tray over to them. Thor merrily accepted his mug. Cautiously, Loki held out the other for Tony to take. 

“Thanks,” Tony said after a pause. He took the mug and Loki smiled awkwardly, then turned away and sat on the armchair across the room. Loki said little that visit, Though Thor and Pepper tried to draw him out, but he stayed in the room and watched the others socialize.

“We’ll let you rest now, friend,” Thor said when it was time to go, “we shall return tomorrow.”

Tony looked at Loki.

“Both of you?” he asked. Tomorrow wasn’t a spell day either.

Thor and Pepper also looked at Loki, all three of them awaiting his answer.

“Would you like for me to come?” Loki finally replied.

“Sure.”

“Then I will.”

“Bring me new Mad Libs. Finished the other one.”

“I will.”

~

Loki started coming every night after that, whether it was a scheduled spell day or not. Thor and Pepper and Tony, and sometimes Morgan, would all socialize with Tony in the bedroom. Loki had learned to make himself a pleasant part of the conversation, though he still made a point to sit in the armchair across the room, leaving the bedside seats to the others. Sometimes Loki thought about sitting closer. Whenever Tony laughed at one of Loki’s jokes, Loki felt a warmth, like sunlight wrapping around him. He could almost breathe it into his lungs. He could almost taste it on his tongue.

“How about tomorrow night you boys have dinner with us?” Tony asked one evening a few months later.

“We’d love to,” Thor answered jovially before Loki had even processed the invitation. They usually visited before or after dinner. They often had beverages and snacks together, or sometimes dessert, but sharing an actual meal with the family felt more intimate. Loki’s first instinct was to politely decline.

“Yeah?” Tony asked, looking at Loki.

Loki cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Yes,” he said, “can we bring anything?”

“More Mad Libs,” Tony answered with a smirk.

“Thor, if you come early enough you can help me cook,” Pepper suggested. “I know how much you’ve been learning. Morgan loves those cookies you bring sometimes.”

“Cookies?” Loki heard Morgan’s voice ask through the partially closed door. She ran inside and stood in front of Thor.

“Cookies?” she asked hopefully.

Thor patted her head.

“Not tonight, little one.”

“Morgan, you’re supposed to be in bed,” Pepper told her. She guided the child from the room.

“I want a story from Thor.”

Thor gave a hearty chuckle.

“I have many a wonderous tale,” he agreed, and followed Pepper and Morgan out of the room.

Loki was alone with Tony now. Tony grinned at him and patted the seat beside the bed. Loki hesitated.

“Let’s finish the old Mad Libs book together,” Tony suggested, “since you’re bringing me a fresh one tomorrow.”

Loki had been bringing Tony a steady supply, but Tony usually filled them out with Morgan, Pepper, Thor, or one of his other visitors. Loki had never played Mad Libs before. He nodded and sat beside Tony, picking up the book from the bedside table. He gave Tony a smile that must have been more vulnerable than he meant it to be because Tony appeared surprised, then smiled more warmly than he had ever smiled at Loki before.

~

They arrived in the early evening of the following day.

“Why don’t you sit with Tony and Morgan while I help Pepper cook,” Thor told Loki. Loki nodded and obeyed. He sat on the chair beside Tony’s bed. Morgan was sitting on the bed telling Tony a story that she was making up.

“Loki,” she exclaimed when she saw him, “like my story?”

“I only heard a little, but I was very impressed,” he told her as he set the new Mad Libs book down on the bedside table.

Morgan smiled delightedly.

“Hey Loki,” Tony said cordially, “how about the three of us do some of those Mad Libs together?”

“Yeah,” Morgan agreed with excitement.

They played for a while, and Loki found himself laughing along with them. He felt included. 

Many pages of Mad Libs later Morgan got restless and left the room to play outside until dinner. Loki found himself alone with Tony.

“Have your injuries continued to improve?” Loki asked. He already knew that they had; he assessed them using thorough magic at the conclusion of each healing spell. But Loki was feeling flustered and strange and he wasn’t sure what else to say.

“You know that they have,” Tony answered. He was wearing a slight smirk.

“You know,” Tony began after a long silence, “it was really nice of you to, to do what you did for me, and to stay for the year to heal me.”

Loki looked away.

“I never thanked you. So. Thank you, Loki. For saving my life.”

“You’re welcome,” Loki almost whispered, so uncomfortable he wanted to flee.

Then he felt Tony’s good hand take his.

Loki froze, then shifted his gaze to their hands. Tony had wrapped his around Loki’s, and after a pause, he squeezed it.

Loki could feel his affection for Tony swelling inside his core, and he felt himself blush. He wanted to squeeze Tony’s hand back, but he wasn’t sure he should. But then Tony squeezed his again.

“It’s been really nice seeing you every night,” Tony told him, his voice serious and a little raw.

The vulnerability made Loki suddenly and shockingly desperate to kiss Tony. He squeezed his hand instead. He tried to think what to say. He thought he ought to make a joke, or ask if he could fetch Tony a beverage - anything to get them past this inappropriately romantic moment.

“Loki,” Tony spoke, his voice even more raw, and Loki met his eyes. They were so beautiful that Loki felt a twinge in his heart. He admitted to himself that he had always found those eyes alluring. Even when they were enemies. He began to lean in, feeling unable to stop himself, needing so badly to kiss Tony’s mouth - but at the last instant Loki came to his senses and pulled back, snatching his hand away.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I’ll just see if Thor and Pepper need any help.”

Tony didn’t try to stop him from leaving, and Loki didn’t know if that meant he was relieved to have Loki gone, or heartbroken.

~

Pepper brought a table into the bedroom for them to all have dinner with the bedbound Tony. Loki sat in his formerly favorite spot in the armchair across the room, plate balanced on his knee, and nibbled perfunctorily at his food. His anxiety had abolished his appetite. He avoided Tony’s gaze, though he was aware that it was focused on him at many points throughout the meal.

Afterwards Loki hurried to volunteer to help Pepper clean up, relieved to put distance between him and Tony, who he now realized he madly desired. But Tony was married, and Pepper had become a friend, and Loki knew he didn’t deserve to be with Tony anyhow. 

“So, I heard you and Tony almost kissed,” Pepper stated casually over the dish she was washing. Loki nearly dropped the mug in his hand but managed to set it safely on the counter.

“Uh,” Loki said, at a loss. There was no way to lie about it if Tony had already told her. “I’m sorry,” he began, “I stopped it, I didn’t, I wasn’t thinking for a minute and I just -”

“Loki, it’s okay,” Pepper said, interrupting him. “Tony and I have an open marriage. We’re polyamorous. And I think you two would be adorable together. Thor and I talk about it all the time.”

“What?” was all Loki could think to say.

Pepper looked very amused.

“I think Tony likes you too,” she told him, “you should just go for it.”

Loki cleared his throat to stall while he tried to decide how to react.

“I was just caught up in the moment.”

“Oh, I see,” Pepper said in a smiling tone, “I guess I’m just imagining all those looks you’re always giving him.”

“There are no looks.”

“Please,” she chortled, “you two are constantly eye-fucking. Thor and I are getting impatient for you to get together already.”

“Uh…”

“So, here,” she said, handing him two mugs of tea, “Thor is playing with Morgan in her room. Tony is all alone and in desperate need of this very tea.” She made a soft smirk. Unsure how else to proceed, Loki followed her direction.

~

Loki set the tea mugs on the bedside table. He paused, then sat on the bed instead of the chair. 

“Pepper made the tea,” he admitted. He gazed into Tony’s eyes.

“She makes good tea, yeah,” Tony said a little awkwardly, staring back. Loki could hear the vulnerability in his voice and wondered if perhaps Pepper was right that Tony returned Loki’s desire. 

Still, Loki worried that he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to find happiness, especially not with someone who once almost died because of him. According to Thor and Pepper, Loki had changed since 2012. Thor often told him that, since saving Tony, Loki had become someone who healed, not someone who harmed. A hero, not a villain. Thor said that was always who Loki was, in truth, and that he had only gotten off track for a while. 

But Loki wasn’t sure that he could believe what Thor said. Thor was biased because he had seen a different Loki redeem. He had seen a different Loki fight by his side at Ragnarok when this Loki had been fucking the Grandmaster in Sakaar and pretending not to care about his people or his homeland. He had seen a different Loki give his life fighting against Thanos when this Loki had only ever worked for him. He had seen a different Loki die, for real, when this Loki had only ever faked his death and prioritized the preservation of his own life above all others.

But maybe Thor and Pepper were right that he was finding redemption now - later than the other Loki had, but still. Could it be that he had earned happiness?

Loki must have been contemplating it all for too long because Tony rolled his eyes, then grabbed Loki by the collar and pulled him into a kiss.

It was different than Loki had imagined. He had pictured Tony kissing him with clear, brassy confidence. But, although Tony’s true kiss started rough, it soon melted into something so sweet that Loki was frightened by the intimacy. He wanted to run, but more than that, he wanted to be sweet in return. It wasn’t how he thought it would be between them, but he laid a hand softly on Tony’s cheek. A thrill ran through him. He slid his tongue gently into Tony’s mouth. Tony worked his good hand into Loki’s hair and Loki leaned back into it, breaking their kiss. Tony made a noise of protest, then grabbed a fistful of Loki’s hair and reunited their lips. The kiss was deep now, but still tender, and Loki abandoned all his reservations.

Tony was wearing his robe. Loki parted it at the collar and ran his hands over Tony’s bare chest and stomach. He felt relief - after all the small instants of accidental contact during the spells, at last Loki could touch Tony in earnest. 

With a breathy sound, Loki pulled away from their kiss. He stared at Tony’s mouth. He cradled Tony’s face and ran his thumb over Tony’s bottom lip.

“Do you really want this?” Loki asked, fear that Tony would say no threatening to consume him.

“Yes. I kissed you first, remember?”

“Yes,” Loki said with a small smile, “I remember.” He bent to kiss Tony’s neck and Tony inhaled sharply. “I just wanted to make sure.” He mouthed his way across Tony’s collar bone. His skin felt softer than Loki had imagined it would, and smelled like a clean breeze that carried subtle hints of all it had blown across - rivers and soil, flowers and clouds, flame and starlight.

“Take off your clothes,” Tony instructed.

Loki obeyed without a thought, stripping himself and only tearing his eyes away from Tony when he had to. The desire on Tony’s face was evident as he watched Loki bare his body, and whatever specks remained of Loki’s insecurity fell away.

“What do you think?” he asked when he was nude. He spun around slowly to give Tony a good view.

“Even sexier than I imagined.”

Loki stopped spinning and gawked at him.

“You… imagined?”

“Yeah,” Tony admitted, “I’ve thought about this. A lot. I think about you. Loki.”

There was nothing to do then but kiss him, there was nothing else to think about, there was nothing else to want, it filled Loki’s mind, it spread out over his essence, the need, the longing, the affection - and all at once they were locked together in a desperately passionate embrace, Loki pressing his bare chest to Tony’s and Tony wrapping his good arm around Loki’s back as their mouths merged.

Tony broke the kiss to catch his breath and Loki moved down to kiss his chest. He parted Tony’s robe further, pushing aside the blanket that covered his legs. Loki found that Tony was wearing pajama pants, and he looked up at him, waiting for a nod of permission before removing them. Tony shifted his body to help Loki strip him, then lay back.

Loki made a small gasp at the sight of Tony’s erection. This time it did resemble what Loki had imagined - long and wide and beautiful - and Loki felt overpowered by the strength of his desire. He lowered his mouth.

It was salty and warm and Tony made an irresistible sound of hunger and satiation. Its hardness felt perfect against the insides of Loki’s cheeks, against the flat of his tongue. He slid his mouth on and off of it with slowness, though he wanted to go fast, and Tony began to emit a long, low groan. When he could restrain himself no longer, Loki pushed his mouth as far as he could onto Tony’s cock and took the tip down his throat. He moaned and swallowed around it and Tony grabbed his head, held him down, and shot his wet with a fierce bark.

Loki swallowed Tony’s come eagerly, then gently removed his mouth as Tony’s penis softened. Loki watched it relax, then planted a soft kiss on the sensitive flesh.

“Fuck,” Tony panted.

Loki wanted to climb up Tony’s body and hold him, but he wasn’t sure he should. Maybe this was just sex to Tony. Maybe he wasn’t feeling what Loki was.

“Come here,” Tony said, hauling Loki up into a fond embrace. With a hum of comfortable pleasure, Loki lay his head on Tony’s chest and curled up against him. The sensation of his bare skin against Tony’s made Loki’s heart beat faster, and it wasn’t only due to his arousal. It was, more than anything, the profound closeness of it that touched Loki’s heart.

Tony stroked Loki’s hair and Loki sighed softly and kissed Tony’s chest. He draped his arm across Tony’s stomach and accidently bumped Tony’s bad hand in the process. Tony sucked air through his teeth.

“I’m okay,” he rushed to say, then kissed Loki’s hair.

“Maybe I can make it hurt a little less, for a little while,” Loki said, wishing he could take all the pain away, but knowing he could only decrease it temporarily, and even that only theoretically.

“It isn’t a spell day.”

“I know. I don’t mean the weekly spell. You see, that spell uses the power of the Tesseract to enhance my own healing magic. But there are certain _other_ ways to enhance my healing magic.”

“Oh yeah?” Tony asked with an intrigued smirk.

Loki nodded, and kissed his neck.

“How does it work?”

“I would link my magic to your pleasure. There is power in pleasure.”

“Do it,” Tony commanded, his voice heavy with longing. 

Loki brought a slim line of his glowing green magic to his fingertip. He traced it over Tony’s soft penis and all at once Tony was hard. Loki pumped it a few times and Tony moaned breathily.

“May I ride you?”

“Fuck yes,” Tony replied in an eager, velvety tone. He gestured toward the drawer of the bedside table where Loki found condoms and lube. Loki sucked Tony’s cock for a few moments, firmly and slowly, before rolling on the condom and coating it with lube. He locked eyes with Tony as he straddled him. He reached behind himself to guide Tony’s cock to his entrance. He paused, observing the moment, wanting to remember it always, then began to lower himself, taking Tony deep inside.

“You feel so good, oh fuck,” Tony called out. 

Loki laid his hands on Tony’s chest. He reached out with invisible tentacles of his magic and gripped onto Tony’s pleasure. The link drew a sound of surprise from them both. 

“I can feel you,” Tony whispered harshly.

“Is it alright?” Loki asked, concerned Tony was finding the connection too intimate, “should I stop?”

Tony shook his head vigorously.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop.”

Loki stroked Tony’s cheek, releasing a whisper of the healing magic they jointly fueled. Tony moaned and leaned into his hand. 

“It feels good?” Loki asked, though the answer was clear.

“Yeah, oh fuck, oh fuck, ride me, do it,” he chanted.

Loki sat up straight on Tony’s cock and ground his hips in a few circles. The magic between them throbbed and green light shone from Loki’s hands. Tony tossed back his head and writhed, and Loki began to ride him.

With each rise and fall of Loki’s body, with each time that he drove himself on and off of Tony’s cock, the light of their magic shone brighter. Loki placed his hand gingerly on Tony’s injured arm and the green light enveloped it.

“Does it ease the pain at all?” Loki asked hopefully as he continued to bounce on Tony’s cock, milking the power from every instant of Tony's pleasure and using it to fuel the healing magic that united them. Tony tried to answer but the sounds he made were gibberish. He nodded enthusiastically instead of trying again and used his good hand to grip Loki’s hip. He dug his fingers in and pushed Loki down onto him, then began to thrust upward, driving himself into Loki’s hole. Loki moaned lyrically and leaned forward, laying his chest against Tony’s and letting Tony take control of their sex. Each time Tony was in to the hilt, the light swelled. Its flares gave form to the rhythm of Tony’s ecstasy. Though Loki’s magic was being spent, it didn’t pain him the way the weekly spells did. There was no strain. All Loki had to do was stay open, and hold on.

Loki felt Tony’s pleasure as something nearly tangible. It was touching him everywhere, it was all around him, smoothing over his skin. It was inside his body like a warm web of veins and it was inside his mind like a chain of tiny bursts that overwhelmed him with hot clarity. Its weight was comforting against his palms and it blew like a breeze through his hair. It tingled across his lips as he kissed Tony with gentleness. 

After a while Loki started to worry about Tony’s physical exertion; he was on bedrest for a reason, after all. He sat up on Tony’s cock and pushed down until Tony stopped thrusting.

“Let me,” Loki spoke, and he could hear Tony’s pleasure laced throughout his own voice.

Tony moaned wantonly as Loki began to ride him again. Loki went slowly, and Tony emitted a long, desperate groan. Soon Loki realized that he was groaning along with Tony. Loki’s hard, untouched cock throbbed madly with Tony’s pleasure.

As though he had felt Loki’s desire - which, Loki realized, he certainly had - Tony wrapped his good hand around Loki’s erection. 

For a moment, everything was frozen. _Tony was touching him, Tony was touching him, Tony was touching him…_

“Tony,” he whispered urgently, and Tony began to jerk him.

Loki lost track of which pleasure was his and which pleasure was Tony’s. He didn’t try to sort it out. He could feel Tony, and he could feel Tony feeling him.

“How is the pain in your arm?” Loki panted when the pleasure was growing too much to bear.

“I want to come too,” Tony nearly screamed. He pumped Loki’s cock faster, and the green light pulsed around them. Loki drove himself harder and faster on and off Tony’s cock, matching the rhythm of his strokes. The light was so bright it filled the space around the bed and its rays stretched toward the walls and the ceiling.

They had no choice but to orgasm together because their bliss was one. They started at precisely the same moment and made harmonizing sounds of rapture as Tony came deep into Loki’s ass and Loki spilled eagerly over Tony’s hand. The light folded around them and for an instant Loki was completely blinded. 

~

“Ok, name of a place with water,” Tony read aloud from the newest Mad Libs book a few weeks later.

“The beach,” Morgan exclaimed with excitement.

“Great one. Next, something you do in the morning.”

“Braid my beard,” Thor announced merrily.

“Spectacular. A word you would use to describe your favorite food.”

“Cheeseburgers,” Morgan said with a grin.

“Great choice,” Tony replied proudly, “but it has to be a word you would use to _describe_ the cheeseburgers.”

Morgan put a finger to her lips in thought.

“Cheesy?”

“Perfect. Next, my favorite hobby.”

“Talking,” Pepper said, smirking at him.

Thor laughed heartily and Loki chuckled. 

“Absolutely correct,” Tony agreed. “Ok, so the last one for this page is: something you can see, touch, or taste.”

“Light,” Loki spoke in a rich tone, imagining the green light of their frequently shared passion, which could be seen, but also very nearly touched, and almost tasted. Tony smiled warmly at him.

“Read it to us, friend,” Thor said after a long moment had passed of Loki and Tony gazing at one another.

“Right,” Tony agreed, then cleared his throat.

“It was a _pungent_ day at the _roller-coaster_. During the _voyage_ , the _candy bars_ grew very _spicy_ and the _acrobat_ wasn’t sure what to do. 

One night a _turtle_ was _hopping_ to visit his _brother_ at their favorite spot, _the beach_. 

‘I must _braid my beard_ before I go,’ he said, ‘but I am so _cheesy_.’

Little did he know that _talking_ was all they did there. Luckily, he knew a lot about _light_ and everyone was impressed.”

They all clapped and laughed at their shared creation, then Thor and Pepper set up the table for everyone to have dinner together in the bedroom. While they arranged the meal, Morgan sat on the bed and told Tony and Loki a story about Loki using his magic to make a family of superhero cats.

~

Tony healed over a month earlier than anticipated, thanks to the cumulative effect of the magically healing sex he and Loki had come to have regularly.

“It’s so damn good to be out,” Tony told him one night as they walked hand in hand down the quiet road. 

“I am so pleased to see you well,” Loki replied, his tone heavy with gratitude.

“So,” Tony asked, his voice shaky though he was obviously attempting to sound casual, “now that I’m all better, will you be, you know, returning to your timeline?”

Loki stopped walking and stood to face him. He took up both of Tony’s hands, making sure to be gentle with the recently healed one. He stared into Tony’s eyes. Their exquisite beauty was evident even in the dimness of the night.

“Of course not,” Loki said, a little heartbroken that Tony would even think he might leave. “Of course I’m staying,” he assured him, “of course,” he repeated in a whisper, then pressed his lips softly to Tony’s. Tony held him tightly and they kissed with tenderness and relief, surrounded by starlight and one another’s arms.


End file.
